TheCable

Hadiza Balarabe, deputy governor of Kaduna, says more than 400,000 residents have enrolled in the state health insurance scheme within one year.

Speaking at the end-of-the-project dissemination event — Demand Side Financing (DSF) initiative on Monday, Balarabe said the figure included 391,254 persons in the formal sector, 681 in the informal sector, and 12,454 vulnerable persons.

The deputy governor, who was represented by Sagir Balarabe, special adviser on human capital to Nasir el-Rufai, Kaduna governor, said the state government has designed policies to ensure “equitable” access to quality health care for all residents.

“[The scheme is] to demonstrate our resolve in removing financial inhibition to accessing health care for all our people,” she said.

Balarabe said the enrolment exercise for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) programme which she flagged off on Monday, is a pointer to the government’s commitment to increasing access to basic healthcare services for all residents, and, in turn, achieving universal health coverage (UHC).

“These recorded achievements demonstrate the gains of the Result for Development-Demand Side Financing Programme implemented in Kaduna state,” she said.

“We are committed to maintaining this positive trajectory as a government that puts our people first in our governance agenda.’’

On his part, Aliyu Saidu, director-general of the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA), said the state is on the path of achieving the UHC.

“Given the sizable proportion of this sector relative to the total population of the state and their contribution to the economy, this is imperative if the state is to remain on course towards achieving Universal Health Coverage,” Saidu said.

The DG added that equal access to quality healthcare is important, considering that 80 percent of Kaduna residents still pay for health services at the point of care, and a significant percentage of the population lives on below $1 a day.